SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A California robotics company, an Illinois school district, and a Georgia legal services organization are among this year's winners of the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards. Cisco Systems(R) today announced the winners of its annual awards program, which recognizes small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and non-profit and public sector organizations for their unique adoption of networking solutions to drive business success.
One grand-prize winner and two runners-up in each of five categories were selected from more than 600 applications received by Cisco for this year's contest. Representatives from Cisco worked with a diverse panel of industry experts to narrow the broad field of entrants and select the 15 winning companies.
"The Cisco Growing with Technology Awards shines a spotlight on innovative companies and organizations who have improved their operations through their investment in information and networking technology," said Mark Quinn, Northern California District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration, and one of the contest's judges. "All winners clearly demonstrated that technology really does deliver added value and greater returns, and that it is critical to every part of their business." The winners in each of the five categories of the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards 2005 include:
Innovators in Customer Relationship
--Grand Prize: Elliance (21 employees), based in Pittsburgh, Pa.
--Runners-up: A2Z Computer Service and Repair (4 employees), based in Durham, N.C.; and Walker Information (250 employees), based in Indianapolis, Ind.
Innovators in Non-Profit
--Grand Prize: Georgia Legal Services Program (165 employees), based in Atlanta, Ga.
--Runners-up: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (320 employees), based in Alexandria, Va.; and Scheurer Healthcare Network Organization (385 employees), based in Pigeon, Mich.
